Good gourd! | Jack-o'-lanterns are a familiar sight this time of year, but the enduring pumpkin is more than just an ugly face.

By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
Pumpkin ravioli?
American Indians had weed control, not ravioli, in mind when they taught early settlers to plant pumpkin seeds, but United States Department of Agriculture officials recently reported the native vegetable is more popular than ever.
If swirling, falling leaves and cooler temperatures draw you toward roadside stands offering apple cider, Indian corn and ripe, orange pumpkins, you're not alone.
USDA officials said pumpkin growers have tripled pumpkin acreage since 1982 to meet rising demand in what has become an annual $150 million industry.
The rising popularity of urban pumpkin patches and fall festivals helped spur demand for the pumpkin, now a traditional symbol of fall, and increase income for some farmers, USDA officials said.
Pumpkins turned jack-o'-lanterns are a familiar sight this time of year, but the vegetable has proved to be more than just an ugly face.
Supply: Tim Parks of Parks Garden Center in Green Township said there's no shortage of pumpkins in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys. There are pumpkins at nearly every suburban corner, every bend in a country road.
He added that residents pluck pumpkins from area patches for a variety of reasons, including, apparently, pumpkin ravioli.
A customer who recently purchased a pumpkin at the garden center returned the next day with a sample of the dish. Parks gave it rave reviews.
Some customers want pumpkins for pies, he continued, and the garden center offers a small, sweet variety ideal for pies.
"I don't cook, but I enjoy eating," Parks joked. "If you eat a pie made from a pumpkin, it will have a different taste. That's because most of the canned pumpkin filling is really made from squash."
Parks said most customers buy pumpkins for home decorating, either for a harvest display or to carve out jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween. He said home decorating for fall is growing in popularity because it can be done in a relatively inexpensive manner, Parks said.
"The kids pick out a pumpkin. Mom buys some corn stalks for the lamp post, and Dad goes home happy because the outing only cost him $20," Parks said. "Compare that to Christmas decorating. You'll have $20 just in a wreath with a bow on it."
Latest trend: He said a growers' trade magazine reported this year that people are choosing to decorate for fall earlier each year.
"It used to just be for Halloween," Parks said. "Now people are starting to decorate for fall soon after Labor Day, and they leave the displays up until Thanksgiving."
Wanema Flasher, Ohio State University family and consumer sciences extension agent in Mahoning County, suggested pumpkin purchasers think twice about tossing the pumpkin seeds when carving out a jack-o'-lantern because pumpkin seeds are a delicious, nutritious snack.
Flasher recommends drying the seeds, then baking them with a little salt added if desired.
Remove the seeds and the fibrous pith from the pumpkins, and thoroughly clean the seeds to remove the pith, she said.
To dry the seeds, place them in the oven on a baking tray at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for three to four hours, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.
To roast the dried seeds, toss them with a little oil and place them in the oven at 250 F for 10 to 15 minutes, Flasher said. The dried seeds can also be saut & eacute;ed in a skillet with a little butter or margarine until the color begins to darken, she said.
USDA officials said pumpkin seeds are cholesterol free and loaded with vitamins and minerals. Seeds are rich in vitamins A and C, protein, calcium and unsaturated oil and contain significant iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorous.
tullis@vindy.com